Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte reviewed by Polygon

In case you missed it, Coca-Cola has a new limited-edition drink that’s “born in the metaverse” that’s apparently “pixel-flavored.” The drink, dubbed the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte, originally debuted Fourteen days (sure!) and is available through the officials Coca-Cola Creations website until it’s sold out. (A two-pack costs about $15, by the way, so it’s still available.)

But what does “Pixel Flavor” taste like? Well, the folks at Coca-Cola describe it as “an innovative flavor inspired by the playfulness of pixels and rooted in the experiences that gaming enables.” It’s an ambitious way of describing a drink, and we can’t help but put it to the test.

Photo: Petrana Radulovic/Polygon

On an overcast afternoon, five Polygon employees gathered around a can of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte, eager to try this strange and new beverage. The can itself was aesthetically pleasing, a pale purple with turquoise and fuchsia “pixels”. We gathered a few cups — and some crushed ice for those of us with more sophisticated palettes — and poured in some fresh Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte.

After a few sips it was clear not Your average Coke Zero. There are certainly the undertones of a typical Coca-Cola drink, but before I can even digest it, I’m hit with a tsunami of artificial fruitiness that I can’t quite understand. is it citrus is it berry Does it have notes of mint? I end up reducing it to “tutti-frutti,” which is both specific and incredibly vague. As it turns out, my colleagues have similar sentiments:

Tasha Robinson

It has the usual cola problem of not tasting much after the first sip. It smells a little spicy and a little floral, and for a second at first you get the impression of something very sweet and fruity, like a maraschino cherry. After that it only tastes like acid and sugar.

Suzanne Polo

It tasted of confusion, but in a pleasant way. There is no way I would drink a whole can.

Austen Goslin

It’s overwhelmingly sweet, but the mysterious combination of unidentifiable artificial fruit flavors that ooze through after that initial blast of sugar is kind of pleasant. That being said, I still wouldn’t want more than a few sips of it, and I’m not entirely convinced that’s actually how Pixel tastes.

Chelsea Stark

what is this fruit can someone please tell me I like the sweetness of Coke Zero, but it was impossible to tell what kind of fruit Cola would make a pixel out of. But I might drink more.

Photo: Petrana Radulovic/Polygon

But in the end you don’t drink for the taste, you drink for the experience. Drink Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte to enter the Metaverse and embrace the raw essence of gaming. Man drinks Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte to unleash his true gamer potential. Has the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte inspired us as gamers?

“Absolutely,” says Austen. “I won’t elaborate further.”

“It allowed me to enter the Metaverse and improve my gamertude,” says Chelsea.

“Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte has distilled a fruit-themed match-three puzzle/microtransaction game into a taste experience,” says Susana. “Also no.”

“It absolutely inspired me to go back to my usual gamer fuel, the bottled Diet Dr. Pepper,” says Tasha.

As for me, well, let’s just say I still process exactly what Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte tastes like, but I do did Finally win a game Nintendo Switch Sports. True gamer status, enabled.